One More Thing:As airlines on both sides of the Atlantic gear themselves up for the launch of Open Skies on March 31st, officials from both sides of the pond were in Dublin last week to get the ball rolling on phase two of the deal.

Liberalising ownership rules to allow for transatlantic airline mergers and allowing European carriers to operate in the internal US market were high on the agenda.

Judging by the reaction of participants afterwards, negotiators are in for a long haul.

Environmental issues and talks on increased co-operation on security and safety were also discussed.

Daniel Calleja, director of air transport at the European Commission, said it wanted airlines in Europe to have more access to the US market.

"We would [ also] like to see reciprocal opportunities for investment between airlines on both sides [ of the Atlantic]."

John Byerly, deputy assistant secretary for transportation affairs at the US Department of State, admitted that there would be resistance in the US to foreign ownership of its airlines and to allowing European carriers to operate in its domestic market.

"They will require a change in statute and will be enormously controversial," Byerly said, adding that the election of a new administration in the US next year could also influence the tone of negotiations.

The informal talks took place on the fringe of the European Air and Space Law's annual congress, hosted by UCD.

Formal talks are expected to take place in Slovenia next May.

This will not be a speedy process. Open Skies I took four years to negotiate, and talks on a successor deal could take just as long.